“The Strand is older than the Frauenthal,” said councilwoman Patrice Johnson of the former Michigan Theater on Western Avenue in Muskegon, which is about 7 years younger than the Strand and received a renovation over a decade ago. “I think that’s a really big deal.”

New fiber lines will not need to be run to city hall for the service, as the city’s police and fire departments already have the lines; this is a significant cost savings for implementation. New phone equipment will need to be purchased, and will cost $40,000 over 5 years. According to the city’s finance department, this will still save the city $7,000 a year for until the equipment is paid off; after that, savings of roughly $15,000 a year will be achieved.

Running for three Council seats, four candidates spoke about economic development, neighborhood involvement, transit in the city and the community’s connection to city hall. Their answers, as well as paraphrased versions of the questions (or groups of similar questions) can be found below.